Railway-car driving axle



April 7, 1925. I 1,532,637

H. PdsENTRuP RAILWAY 01m muhne AXLE Filed Dec. 16, 1924 v Fig.1.

inventor.- a 5" 4 96 K ute-Mai atented Apr. 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES HEINRICH rosENTR-UP,

OF MUNSTER, GERMANY.

RAILWAY-CAR DRIVING AXLE.

Application filed December T 0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HEINRICH PtjSEN- TRUP, a citizen of the German Republic, and a resident of Munster, estphalia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Driving Axles, of which the following is a speci fication. 7

My invention relates to a railway car driving axle having two traversing wheels running on rails. With the known devices of this kind the railway car driving axle is supported on a low carriage so arranged as to be able to run to and fro in the track. This motion is in many respects not as suited to the purpose as motion proceding always in the same direction. The to-andfro motion requires, under circumstances, more time than is at disposal, and the cranking of the axle and its support upon said carriage renders the manufacture of the device difiicult and increases its costprice, relatively to the improved construction forming the subject matter of this invention.

My invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side-view of certain parts of the constructional form shown; Figure 2 is a similar illustration showing a modification; Figure 3 is a transverse section through one half of a pit combined with the driving device proper, the pit and the other parts being drawn to a reduced scale; and Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the same pit which here is drawn to a still more reduced scale.

Referring to Figs. 1, 3 and 4:, a denotes the railway car driving axle which is provided at each end with two grooved wheels Z) and m, of which the wheels Z) Z) are intended to act on the wheels of the car to be moved, whereas the wheels m m are carried by, and run on, low auxiliary rails c 0 arranged near the main-rails and inside the track. There are two pairs of rails c 0 and two axles a a with their wheels Z) l) and m m, and the axles are coupled with two endless chains 7 7' supported by chainwheels Z Z (Fig. 4) arranged at the ends of a pit located between the rails proper of the track. Four links of the two chains 16, 1924. Serial No. 756,290.

are so transformed as to form bearings '11 (Fig. 1) for the two axles a a, which are so located relatively to each chain f that the two chain-parts between the axles are of equal length. chain-wheels Z Z at one or the other end of the pit are driven by any suitable motor one axle will be moved immediately over the pit and the other will be moved in the pit, in the reverse direction. If none of the axles is to be used as driving means for a car (the driving proper being effected by the two wheels 6 b pertaining to one or the other axle), the'position of'the two endless chains is that shown in Fig. 4 in which the axles with their wheels (I) m, b m, Fig. are located inside the pit.

If a railway-car is to be driven by the device described, the motor (not shown) is started so that the respective pair of chainwheels m m which is coupled with the motor is rotated whereby obviously also all other parts are caused to move, the two driving wheels of the appertaining axle being there-' by caused to engage two wheels of the car (Fig. 1) and tow it along with them. While this proceeds, the other axle a: with its wheels travels in the opposite direction, as already described, and moves therefore, back within the pit until it, finally, rises up to the position shown in Fig. 3, in full lines. The position shown in dotted lines is that which the axle assumes while moving in the reverse direction as just mentioned.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 2 the endless chains are replaced by endless ropes p 39 into which are inserted members to q forming bearings for the axles a a.

I claim:

A device for driving railway cars, comprising in combination, two endless driving members; pairs of rotatory'supports for them; means to rotate one of said pairs, two axles coupled with said pairs at opposite points thereof; two grooved wheels at each end of each axle; and auxiliary rails arranged inside of the rails of the track, and upon which auxiliary rails the inner pairs of grooved wheels run.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HEINRICH PosENTRUP.

If, therefore, the two 

